1. How do you make people believe that they won’t die of corona?

2. How do you make people believe that they can resume work, after lockdown when there is no vaccine or cure?

For the kind attn of @CMOTamilNadu (thread)

The only way the Govt can earn the trust of people and put them back in their workplace is by screening and testing. Screening through rapid antibody kits and testing through deep nose swab test.

If antibody positive, person is administered for nose swab test (COVID test), if cleared - he can be sent to work. If antibody negative, quarantine and repeat test. This has to be a massive exercise covering at least 20-30 million people.

When I say this, people ask if this is even practically possible in terms of infrastructure and if TN has the money to spend.

Here is my humble suggestion and I think the Hon’ble Chief Minister has a golden opportunity to earn the trust of people at large now.

Tamil Nadu has the finest public health infrastructure in the country. We have 24 Govt medical colleges, 20 Dist hospitals, 206 Taluk hospitals, 69 non-Taluk hospitals and 1806 Primary Health Care Centers.

TN Health Dept has 14,000 doctors, 12430 nurses and 2926 lab technicians. We also have 416 hospital on wheels with one doctor, nurse and a lab technician allocated for each vehicle.

In addition the Govt has notified over 100 private hospitals for COVID testing, and possibly can expand this network now.

If the Govt uses 3500 points including COVID approved private hospitals in this mass testing phase, does about 350 tests/day/location, the State can cover 12,25,000 per day and complete 25 million tests in less than a month.

In addition, for older people and the beneficiaries of OAP the 416 hospital on wheels can be deployed. Hospital on wheels can be used for old people who have no support or cannot travel. This move can earn enormous trust of the people during this crisis time.

Would this exercise break the bank for the TN Govt? The kits may cost under 2500 per person both antibody and COVID kits combined. The budget required can be around 6000 crore. This is much lesser than the loss the state is suffering on account of loss of productivity.